Slow-down Saturday

On this particular Saturday, I had plans to run around…efficiently of course…just like a ton of people probably do today. But right around 11:45 am, while making “real” pancakes with Dylan, the kind that require an egg and sugar, I decided against doing any of it.

Last night I had a hard nights sleep. I’m not sure if it’s the full moon/beginning of Mercury Retrograde, or if my subconscious is working over time because I’m on the brink of a mental grow spurt. But as of late, my dreams have been detailed, eventful, and chock full of meaning. They aren’t bad, weird or strange, but I haven’t had a night yet this week where I didn’t feel like I was observing something that I’m going to need to know later. Ok, I guess that is a little strange.

This morning I was up by 6:45am – which is a little late for me – but there was no use in attempting to go back and sleep in. The last dream gave me great insight to myself and I had a revelation that had me in the bathroom sobbing into one of my bath towels.

Psychology teaches us to pay attention to our dreams, and I fully believe in dream analysis. Every time I’ve underwent analysis, it’s been accurate and has guided me to what I need to work on personally at that particular time in my evolution. I got started by using websites like Dream Moods or by keeping a copy of this dictionary on hand. These tools have guided me through many bouts of emotional purging. They’ve also helped me realize things that I was missing in my life, or that I had too much of. It is a willingness to go deep into yourself that will make dream analysis worth it for you, or have you believing it’s a crock of shit. I will say this though, a symbol in your dream is never what you think it is. Take for instance death. Dreaming of death is rarely a premonition or a warning, it usually means something is ending or becomes just another symbolic metaphor for change.

My dreams this week have several themes to them, chief among them is to release. Release old patterns that no longer work. Release prejudices, thoughts that are no longer supportive, and release judgement…of self, of others, of what I personally think is right. There’s some other stuff too, because there always is. For now, my subconscious has given me all that it thinks I can handle.

So yes, there is a horse supply order that needs to be picked up. Groceries that need to be purchased. And my front porch isn’t going to decorate itself. Not to mention the laundry that’s in the dryer, and the floors that need to be scrubbed. But when you have a Friday night like I had with dreams of good friends who have passed on from this life, an ex-boyfriend, a black pick-up truck (which is symbolic for hard work), a part where you were watching a cooking show that a friend you don’t know (yet?) demanded that you attend, but you’re standing in a kitchen that isn’t a kitchen looking at a stove that has no top…and a bunch of other stuff that you can’t remember…you decide that there are other things to do with a Saturday.

Just in case you need some inspiration like I did, I’ve come up with a good list to get us all started:

Bake something with ingredients you already have

Read one chapter from one classic novel, or any book that you have

Walk the direct opposite way you usually go when you leave your house. What do you find?

Call a friend that you haven’t spoken to in over a year

Write 3 “hello” note cards. If you don’t know who to send them to, send them to a hospital, a nursing home, or random people you find in the phone book

Watch one uplifting documentary on your TV – with a snack cuddled in a blanket

Take a full on bath with Epsom salt and essential oils

Make a vision board

Declutter and organize one closet/drawer

Make homemade facial masks out of supplies in your cupboard

Have kids? Go to a playground on the other side of town and strike up conversations with people you don’t know

Tomorrow I have to feed my horses in the morning, do some chores and then feed them at night. In between that time I can pick up my barn supplies and my groceries. I’ll swing by with Dylan and visit my parents too. So instead of being on the road two days in a row, I’m taking from the list above and staying right here. In the stillness that slowing down provides, I can come to some more conclusions about what my dreams are attempting to teach me or prompt me to do. In fact, that’s really the only way to find out.

Whether you’re having dreams at night or not, having a slow down Saturday is just an all around good idea. The shopping and the cleaning can wait. Trust me.